He had been walking for an unknown amount of time. The clouds in the sky grew thicker and thicker, completely blanketing the heavens until even the position of the sun could no longer be discerned.
With the terrain having changed so drastically, Bai Xuan could no longer determine his direction even with a map. He stopped in his tracks and pulled out the 【Broken Compass that Always Points North】 from his coat.
On the rust-stained bronze dial, the slender needle trembled slightly, pointing steadily due north.
Back when he had been left with no way out in the Desolate Labyrinth, it was this very compass that had helped him find a path to survival and successfully escape danger.
He tightly gripped the compass in his palm, his thumb gently rubbing the uneven rust on its surface as he murmured, “When all is said and done, you are still my most reliable asset.”
Putting the compass away, Bai Xuan set off once more.
After rounding a newly formed hill of rubble, a faint noise suddenly came from up ahead.
Bai Xuan immediately quieted his footsteps and parted the thick shrubs. He saw a Dreadboar with its head lowered, repeatedly ramming its sharp tusks into a large bird trapped in a pile of rubble.
The large bird was far bigger than the Dreadboar, but at this moment, it was curled up miserably among the shattered stones. Its wings were weakly half-spread, and its fluffy feathers were in complete disarray. It could only peck futilely at the Dreadboar's head with its beak, trying to force its opponent back.
The Dreadboar suddenly whipped its head around, driving its hard tusks ruthlessly into the base of the bird's wing.
The intense pain caused the large bird to let out a sharp shriek. It struggled with all its might to back away, but its legs gave out from sheer exhaustion, and it collapsed heavily back into the rubble.
Bai Xuan took a closer look, and his heart suddenly tightened. Gray-brown wings, long legs, and a unique ring of fine patterns around its neck—wasn't this his Long-Legged Chocobo?
Only, it had long since lost its former vigor. Its once smooth, glossy feathers were covered in mud and weeds, matted together in clumps with tiny twigs stuck in the gaps.
Its legs were covered in a mix of old and new scars, and the claw on one of its toes was almost completely torn off. It was a truly pitiful sight.
Bai Xuan's brow furrowed instantly. He immediately stepped out from the bushes, the tip of the staff in his hand lighting up with a brilliant golden glow.
The commotion startled the Dreadboar. It whipped its head around to investigate, but it was already too late.
Bai Xuan struck, bringing his staff down hard onto its head.
A dull thud echoed. Without even a chance to let out a squeal, the Dreadboar's legs went limp, and it collapsed stiffly to the ground, completely lifeless.
The Chocobo in the rubble trembled violently. It timidly raised its head, its cloudy eyes staring intently at Bai Xuan.
A few seconds later, its body suddenly stiffened as it recognized the person before it.
The next moment, it struggled to push itself up, staggering forward in a rush. It extended its long neck, wanting to nuzzle affectionately against his chest.
Bai Xuan raised a hand to gently hold back its forehead, which was covered in blood and mud, and sighed helplessly. “You're far too dirty.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, crystal-clear tears welled up in the Chocobo's eyes, dripping down its sharp beak as it let out a low, aggrieved coo from its throat.
Bai Xuan's heart softened. He knelt down immediately and retrieved a water skin and a clean cloth from his Space Ring.
He dampened the cloth and gently wiped away the mud and dried blood on the Chocobo's legs, then cast his healing magic.
A warm golden halo slowly enveloped its gruesome wounds, and the torn, damaged flesh began to heal at a visible rate.
The Chocobo's body trembled slightly, but it did not flinch or pull away, placing its absolute trust in Bai Xuan.
It slowly lowered its head, resting its beak gently on Bai Xuan's shoulder as its cooing grew soft and affectionate.
Bai Xuan then pulled out a few pieces of jerky from his Space Ring, broke them into small bits, and fed them to the bird one by one.
Already starving, the Chocobo devoured all the jerky ravenously. Still unsatisfied, it playfully nudged its beak against his palm, acting spoiled.
Bai Xuan gently patted its neck, softly comforting it.
“Alright, alright, stop nuzzling.” He paused, then asked softly, “How did you end up here?”
The Chocobo naturally couldn't answer, but Bai Xuan already knew the truth in his heart.
When he had left two months ago, he had specifically entrusted this Chocobo to the care of the White family.
Now, it was wandering the desolate wilderness alone, emaciated and covered in wounds. For it to be in such a wretched state, something must have happened to the White family.
Bai Xuan slowly stood up and lightly patted the Chocobo's neck.
It had been looking down, sharpening its beak, but upon his pat, it immediately looked up, still holding a piece of fresh meat in its beak.
Bai Xuan reached out to take the piece of meat and tossed it aside. “Clean yourself up first, then I'll take you with me.”
He found a clear stream nearby. The Chocobo eagerly waded into the water, flapping its wings to wash away all the mud, and then vigorously shook its wings, spraying fine water droplets all over Bai Xuan.
Bai Xuan closed his eyes slightly. Once the droplets stopped falling, he flipped himself onto the bird's back and gently patted its neck.
The Chocobo spread its legs and galloped toward Calais Town. The wind rushed into his white robe, blowing back the hood from his head.
The road ahead was entirely unknown, and he had no idea what kind of disaster had befallen the White family.
But looking at this scarred, displaced Chocobo, he already had the worst of apprehensions in his heart.
...
The city walls of Calais Town were trembling violently.
Debris cascaded down from the gaps in the battlements, and with every tremor of the ground, the cracks in the walls widened.
Only a few dozen guards stood scattered along the wall. Their leather armor was worn and mismatched, and their weapons were even more hodgepodge.
Some held cheap, mass-produced one-handed swords from blacksmith shops, while others held hunting bows with fewer than ten arrows remaining in their quivers.
The stubble-faced guard captain sheathed his sword into a battlement slot and leaned over to look down. He immediately pulled back, his face deathly pale.
“There are too many...” he muttered under his breath, his faint voice instantly swallowed by the roaring tide below.
Outside the town, a dark mass of monsters crashed against the foundation of the wall like a rising tide, wave after wave.
Shadow Rats, Skeleton Wanderers, young Multi-Headed Snakes, and countless other twisted, unknown monsters filled the battlefield.
These monsters were not high-level, generally ranging from Level 2 to Level 5, but their sheer numbers were enough to strike terror into anyone's heart.
They clawed frantically at the city gates and gnawed on the wooden doors with their sharp teeth. The continuous, ear-grating scraping sound made everyone's skin crawl.
A few hundred meters behind the monster horde, two massive figures stood out.
One was a dark-green-skinned ogre, its muscles bulging as it dragged a wooden club thicker than an adult's torso, its head caked with dried, dark-brown blood.
Beside it stood a Giant Frenzy Bear, standing well over ten feet tall at the shoulder. Its stiff, brownish-black bristles stood on end, and each low growl it let out shook the surrounding air.
Both of these monsters were at the Level 8 Transcendent rank.
A deathly silence hung over the wall; no one spoke. Everyone knew that those two powerful monsters were biding their time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Even further away, at the edge of the dense forest, a giant ape-like monster sat perched atop a massive boulder.
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